


A Sunflower Amongst The Lilies

by FoxglovesAndLavender



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon Era, Canon Universe, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Not Canon Compliant, Severus Snape Angst, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Severus Snape Lives, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:02:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28102119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxglovesAndLavender/pseuds/FoxglovesAndLavender
Summary: After being disgruntled at being cast as some sort of babysitter over the new Muggles Studies teacher, Severus learns that perhaps he should have been more grateful at Dumbledore for providing him with this opportunity, proving it to be useful in the long run.
Relationships: Charity Burbage/Severus Snape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I must give credit where it's due! My depiction of Charity is based on the lovely Illustration by La-Petit-Marianna on DeviantArt! 
> 
> I must admit this is a little daunting taking on a longer fic however I shall give it my best! I've been wanting to write this for a while and I've decided to get on with it! Also I wasn't sure when exactly Charity joined Hogwarts so I went with beginning in the POA era! Please note that, although I will keep some parts that happened in the canon I probably will drift away from it at some points! Also, I shall add more characters to the tags as I go along!

Framed by the pools of moonlight shining through the rows of windows sitting on either side of the corridor, the Potions Master strode towards the Headmasters office, his cloak billowing behind him. He was rather annoyed at the fact he could have been finishing his lesson plans instead of being summoned for no apparent reason, however he knew better than to ignore orders from Professor Dumbledore.

Stopping abruptly In front of the entrance, which was guarded by a large gargoyle, Snape muttered something quickly under his breath whilst impatiently tapping his foot against the cobblestone floor. In response to this, the gargoyle leapt aside to reveal a spiral staircase. He stepped inside, placing one foot in the step above the other to steady himself as the staircase revolved, making sure his cloak wouldn't catch around the stairs. He could already hear the various gadgets and trinkets whirring away inside the office.  
' _If I were Headmaster, I would never have such bric a brac causing a distraction_ ' he thought to himself as he rapped on the oak door. It swung open, revealing a large circular room displaying a variety of silver instruments, it's walls occupied by the sleeping portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses, and a large claw-footed desk illuminated by candlelight. It had a very homely feel to it, largely due to the amount of clutter that took up most of the office. However it wasn't unclean nor chaotic, and one could't help but feel at ease inside.

A voice broke through the humming, chiming and whirring. "Ah, Severus, thank you for coming!" The Headmaster said with a smile. "I was just admiring Fawkes, beautiful creatures aren't they, Phoenixes?"  
"Indeed, Sir." Snape responded, hardly meeting the same level of enthusiasm as Dumbledore. The Headmaster took a seat at his desk and summoned another chair, gesturing to it with one hand. The Potions Master gave a curt nod in response, and sat down.  
"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come here?" The Headmaster asked.  
"Yes, Sir. I _was_ busy planning the my lessons for after the summer-"  
"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore cut Snape off, "there will be plenty of time to finish, this won't take too long. Now, as I am sure you know, we have two new members of staff joining us."  
Snape shuffled slightly in his seat at those words and lowered his head. He already knew that one of these new arrivals would be the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, _Remus Lupin_. He and his friends had gotten into some _altercations_ with Severus when they were all students attending Hogwarts. "Yes, Sir." He answered.

"Now, I trust you already know that Remus Lupin is joining us, _however_ " Dumbledore quickly added, noticing Snape's reaction to his name, "He is not why I summoned you."  
The Potions Master looked up. He was half expecting Dumbledore to ask him to make amends with the werewolf, which he would have responded with a cold, hard 'No.'  
"No, no, I wish to discuss our other new staff member, the new Muggles Studies teacher, Miss Charity Burbage." 

Snape frowned. He had no recollection of that name, was he supposed to know who this new teacher was? He racked his brains trying to remember a 'Charity Burbage' but found nothing. Dumbledore spared him any further thinking. "My dear boy, don't look so alarmed! I just wanted to ask you if you would accompany Professor Burbage to her classroom tomorrow."  
Snapes eyes narrowed. "Why? Is she incapable of finding it herself? Why can't you do it...besides my residence is in the dungeons. Muggle Studies is on the first floor. It would be a waste of time for me to go all the way up to your office, to Muggle Studies and back to my quarters. Surely you could do it?"

Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "I could, however I thought I might seize the opportunity to allow you to become acquainted with new people, Severus."  
Snape looked aghast "What...are you...are you trying to play _matchmaker_?" He responded in horror.  
The Headmaster laughed again. "My dear boy, who said anything about matchmaking? I just thought it would be beneficial for you to make new acquaintances, perhaps even friends. I know you're already familiar with the rest of the staff however it wouldn't hurt to expand your circle, Severus!" He explained, smiling, while Snape looked at him through narrowed eyes. He wanted to protest, however knew it would be pointless to try and argue.  
"Oh alright then, what time is _she_..Professor Burbage...due to arrive?" He asked, trying to hide the venom in his voice.  
"9am, no sooner, no later."  
Snape gave a small sigh as a response. "Well, I shan't hold you back from that lesson planning you were so eager to get on with. Goodnight Severus." The Headmaster said as he bid the Potions Master goodbye. Snape nodded back at Dumbledore and went to leave. "Oh, and one more thing!" The Headmaster said. "Please keep watch for her over her first few days, make sure she's doing okay." Snape nodded once more at the Headmaster, but this time rolled his eyes as he left.

It was already 6am by the time Snape had finished planning his lessons, and decided it was too late to go back to sleep. Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, he had purposefully worked slower as to have a reason to make Professor Burbage to feel guilty for causing an interruption in his task. 9am rolled around, and Snape was only just about to get ready to leave. He thought he might punish Professor Burbage and Dumbledore for his lack of sleep by turning up late. 

As he opened the door leading out from his office, he gave a small yelp. There, standing inches from him, was Professor Burbage. She brushed back strands of blonde hair that had escaped her short ponytail and smiled up at him, gazing at him through half moon spectacles. Snape did not smile back. She sensed his hostility and nervously tugged at her yellow cardigan. She looked rather out of place, wearing a muggle set of jeans, a sleeveless cardigan and a white dress shirt, complete with a black tie. The yellow and black were to represent the house she belonged to, Hufflepuff. 

"You must be Severus Snape!" She said, sticking her hand out to shake his. He did not reciprocate the gesture.  
"Why are you not waiting at Dumbledore's office?" He asked, his voice icy. Charity awkwardly retracted her arm as she answered.  
"Well, it was past the time Dumbledore said you'd arrive so he sent me to you. He also said it would save you the trip all the way up to his office and back again!" She explained, playing anxiously with her tie. Snape gave a nasally huff in response as he made his way around her and began to walk up the dungeons corridor. He stopped and turned around to look behind him. "Are you coming or not?" He snapped. Charity hurried to him as he waited for her, feeling a little flustered. However she tried to salvage a conversation as they walked to her new classroom. 

"So...I suppose you've heard about the breakout that happened at Azkaban, with Sirius Black? Horrible, what happened to those poor muggles..." Charity trailed off as she saw Snape tense up, and quickly changed the subject. "It's interesting how the Blacks are seemingly all named after astronomical _things_...I wonder why. Though I've always found space interesting, especially space travel. It's rather incredible how we've managed to achieve it..." Snape was glad she had changed the subject but was getting a little irritated by her endless ramble about space travel and the like, especially as she got more and more dynamic as she delved deeper into the topic, occasionally accidentally batting him with her hand. She reminded him of some sort of oversized, hyperactive puffskein as she seemed to swell with excitement over the rather one sided conversation. 

She trailed off as they arrived at the classroom. As she entered she noticed a considerable the lack of decoration or muggle artifacts. "Not up to your expectations, Professor?" Snape sneered, noticing her reaction.  
"Yes,no,well, I was expecting there to be a little more life in this classroom."  
Snape scoffed. "Well, considering what happened with our last Muggle Studies and _Defence Against The Dark Arts_ professor, and the fact we've had to employ various supplies before you came to this position, we didn't have much time to decorate."  
"Well, I guess I shall have to bring in some of my own things. But thank you for accompanying me here anyway Se-" But as she turned around, Snape had already left. She took a seat at her desk and sighed. ' _It hasn't even been a day and he's already sick of me_ ' she thought to herself, ' _Merlin save me!_ '


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! Second chapter! It's hard writing the first few chapters however I know it'll (hopefully) get easier and quicker as I go on!

Evening crept along the September sky as the Hogwarts staff took their seats ready for the sorting ceremony. All, except for Hagrid; Who had gone to collect the first years, Professor McGonagall; Who was waiting to talk to Harry about the Dementor incident on the Hogwarts express, Professor Flitwick; Who was taking over McGonagall's roll in the ceremony while she was busy, and Professor Snape. He had been asked to escort Professor Burbage, the new Muggles Studies professor, to the hall. However he had found out, much to his annoyance, that she had already made her way there by the time he had gone to collect her.

As he walked through the door to the staff table he saw, much to his dismay, the backs of Professor Burbage and Lupin sitting either side of his chair. He considered turning around and leaving; however, he knew he would be reprimanded for missing the sorting. Besides, he wanted to know who was going to join his house.

Snape begrudgingly took his seat between the two, who were deep in conversation. Charity turned to look at him as he sat down. "Oh! Severus! I suppose you heard about what happened on the train, awful wasn't it? Thank goodness Remus was there, I dread to think what would've happened if he wasn't..."  
Snape scoffed. ' _If only you knew what your hero werewolf really was, and what he was capable of_.'  
"you were so brave, Remus, I don't know _what_ I would have done in that situation!"  
"Oh, don't flatter me, Charity." Lupin replied with a weak smile.  
Snape's narrowed beetle black eyes flitted between the two.  
"Ah, and Severus," Lupin said, "Thank you for, well, _you know_."  
Severus' head whipped round. "What?...Oh. Yes. Not at all." He said, dryly. He had been tasked with brewing Wolfsbane potion for Remus, to help ease the symptoms of lycanthropy.

The doors to the great hall opened and the students flooded the tables, eager to find out who would be joining their houses. After ensuring his own house was seated, Snape's eyes instinctively drifted towards the Gryffindor table, and found himself staring at two vacant seats either side of Ron Weasley. He relished in the thought that perhaps the Dementor attack meant that Potter had to be sent home, and his mood somewhat improved slightly, though that was to be short lived. 

Soon, the new first years were all lining up Infront of a stall and a tattered old hat, muttering anxiously amongst themselves or looking in awe in the scenes of golden cutlery and hundreds of floating candles as they awaited instruction. The frayed hat sang it's song and then, one by one, the students were called up to sit on the wooden stool, and the hat was placed on their heads. The hall was filled with the hats announcements of "Gryffindor! Hufflepuff! Ravenclaw! Slytherin!" The hat gave a last "Slytherin!" as the Sorting drew to a close, making way for the start of term feast. Severus looked over to his new students. 

Slytherin had garnered a reputation around producing many dark wizards over the years which, regrettably, Snape had helped uphold when he was a student. Of course, the other houses have had their fair share of dark wizards, so they aren't entirely blameless. This made the aspect of joining Slytherin rather frightening to many newcomers, though perfects made sure to tell them that the great wizard Merlin was a Slytherin during his time at Hogwarts, and that usually helped them feel more at ease.

As Professor Flitwick began to take the equipment out of the hall, two students, accompanied by Professor McGonagall, walked into the hall. Snape caught sight of the messy black hair and rounded glasses that served as a constant reminder of his not-so-ideal past, and his hackles raised. He had been so foolish to have gotten his hopes up for a Potter free year. His eyes darted between Harry and Lupin, he would have given anything to be anywhere else. 

The headmaster stood, and the hall fell quiet. He welcomed the students, and gave a rather solemn speech about the arrival of Dementors at Hogwarts. A few moments passed, and the sullen expression eventually fell from Dumbledore's face. "On a happier note!" He chimed, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year!"  
Professor Burbage and Lupin turned to smile at eachother, and Snape sunk slightly in his seat. First, Lupin was introduced and was met with a rather lukewarm applause, which caused a faint smirk to appear on Snape's lips for a while, before resuming his hateful expression targeted at Lupin.

"As to our second new appointment..." Dumbledore continued, and out of the corner of his eye, Snape saw Charity's back straighten up.  
"...Well, I am sorry to tell you that professor Kettleburn, our Care Of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year."  
Though continuing to smile brightly, Charity's posture slumped. There was a loud applause, mainly from the Gryffindor table, for Hagrid as he was announced as the knew Care Of Magical Creatures teacher, and Professor Burbage joined with a weak clap. Lupin peered past Severus and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance! Let the feast begin!" said Dumbledore, and Charity winced a little. "Please don't take it to heart, Charity, I'm sure if circumstances were different, you would've been given a warm welcome!" Lupin said, trying to cheer her up as she looked down at her plate, her smile faltered.  
"I understand, don't worry!"  
Snape hid behind his curtains of greasy black hair, and occupied himself with his food so he wouldn't have to join their conversation. He noticed, though, that Charity wasn't eating and instead toying miserably with her food.  
"Eat it!" He barked, taking Charity by surprise, causing her to drop her fork. "It's a waste of food if you let it go cold."  
Charity hurridly ate, flushing red. Severus didn't really care about food wastage as he knew the leftovers would probably get eaten by the elves in the kitchen. He had been appointed to watch over her by the Headmaster, and his wasn't going going to let her starve.

The night progressed and clattering of cutlery against plates and chatter died down as the last dregs of drink and food disappeared. The headmaster stood once more, this time to dismiss everyone and allow them to go to bed. Snape watched the Slytherins exit to make sure they were behaving themselves and, once he was satisfied, stood up to go and give Hagrid a small 'congratulations' on getting the Care Of Magical Creatures position. However, he saw that Potter had gotten there first, and so turned back around to walk Charity out of the hall. She had, although, started to leave with Lupin, engaged in conversation. He briskly walked towards the two to catch up to them.

"Need I remind you," he said sharply, taking Charity by surprise a second time, "That Dumbledore put _me_ incharge of you."  
"Oh, yes, sorry! It's just that since I came here on my own without any trouble, it wouldn't be an issue if I were to leave in my own." She responded, this time holding her ground. Snape looked down his hooked nose at her.  
"I know that, however since we're in the presence of the Headmaster, I can't let it happen again. I won't let myself get in trouble because of _you_. Besides..." He turned his head to glare at Lupin, "you aren't on your own." Charity bowed her head slightly. She felt like she was a student again, getting told off for misbehaving in class.  
"Now, now, Severus. I'm sure she wasn't meaning to get you into trouble, she just got caught up in all the celebrations, that's all. And there's nothing stopping you from walking out with the both of us!" Lupin intervened. Charity smiled again and nodded. Severus sighed, "fine." He was too tired to argue anymore.

"Right, where were we, oh, yes!" Lupin said as they walked out the hall, "the moon landing, I remember my mother talking about it,when was it? '68?. We didn't watch it though, we were always on the move so we never really-"  
"It was '69." Snape interrupted. Charity looked up at him.  
"You know about the moon landing?" She asked.  
Severus narrowed his eyes. "Why do you look so surprised?"  
"Well." Charity replied. "It's just that I wouldn't have thought a _pure-blood_ would care, or even know about it. That's all."  
Snape cocked an eyebrow. "And why would you assume I'm pure-blood? Because I'm the head of Slytherin? I'll have you know I'm half-blood. Don't stereotype."

Charity looked over to Lupin.  
"It's true! Though I understand why you'd think he's pure-blood, considering..." Lupin trailed off feeling Snape's scowl burn through him. "Well, Charity and I will be going up to our floors, I take it you'll be going down to the dungeons. It was...nice...seeing you again Severus. And thank you, again."  
However Snape ignored him and promptly walked away. Charity called out "Goodnight, Severus!"  
He hesitated for a second, but carried on, descending down to the dungeons.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! It's getting a little easier to write now! Woohoo! I wish everyone a some what decent new year! Wow, it's really weird to see 2021 everywhere...

Snape sunk down in the low armchair, massaging the sides of his forehead. He was glad the staffroom was vacant as he needed some time alone to recuperate after a stressful lesson. The constant rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin made it near impossible to get through a class without some argument breaking out. The fact the class found following simple instructions such as not to cheat difficult didn't help. He much preferred the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff class, the Ravenclaws were smart enough not to try and start anything, and the Hufflepuffs were generally easy to handle.

He placed his head in his hands and sighed before the staffroom door opened. He had forgotten Lupin had requested to use this room for his lesson on how to tackle a boggart. He got up to leave as the students entered, warning Lupin of the potential hazard that presented itself as _Neville Longbottom_. However, Lupin brushed him off. Snape gave him one last glare before leaving, feeling a pair of eyes, belonging to Potter, burrow through him as he left.

Almost immediately after he had shut the door, he felt something bump into him. He looked down and saw Professor Burbage, who had dropped the books she was carrying.  


"Ouch! Oh, Severus, I'm really sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going!"  
Snape picked up the rest of her books. "It's alright. Just pay more attention next time. Or else you might get hurt. What on earth were you doing with all these books anyway?"  
"I was going to read them, of course, not all at once. I thought if I left them in the staffroom, the rest of the staff could read them if they liked." Charity replied.  
Snape smirked. "That's thoughtful of you. However I doubt you'd get much reading done. Lupin's decided to teach his third years how to defend themselves against a boggart."  
"Oh how exciting!" Charity exclaimed. "I suppose I should take the books back, I wouldn't want to interrupt...though it would be fun to watch."  


"Oh I shouldn't think so. Those Gryffindors are insufferable. I've never seen such little shi-"  
"Severus!"  
Snape snickered. "I'm allowed to use _grown-up_ words in _grown-up_ company, Professor. There aren't any students around."  
Charity looked up at him. "Why do you never use my name? You can call me Charity, you know."  
"You are a teacher, and I shall address you as such."  
"Okay, _Professor_ ," she teased, "would you mind helping me carry my books back to my classroom?"  
Snape looked down at her. "After that cheek, I don't think I will."  
Charity shuffled awkwardly, about to apologize, but saw a playful gleam in his eye and realised he was joking.  
She tutted but smiled up at him. "Come on, you. Those books won't take themselves back!" She walked through the corridor, and Snape followed suit.

As they entered the Muggle Studies Classroom, Snape noted the remarkable change from how it used to look. The walls, instead of being bare like they used to be, now had various displays. One of which was about muggle entertainment that had pictures of various muggle sports and a cutout of a Sega Mega Drive. There were also different objects on display such as a microwave, a telephone, a TV, a computer and a small box that had a few GameBoys inside. Snape picked one out to investigate.

"I'm thinking of lending them out to the students for an assignment over the holidays! Of course, they'd have to leave the grounds, they'd never work with all the magic around." Charity said.  
"These weren't around when I was a child. Muggles keep coming up with new ways to spoil their children." Snape remarked, placing it back into the box.  
Charity scoffed. "Oh come on, I've seen plenty of spoilt wizarding children too! I know I'm not allowed to speak ill of students but I've seen that boy, what's his name? Oh yes, Malfoy walking around the castle, acting like he owns the place."  
Snape made a 'hmm' noise, it was unclear if it was in agreement or not.  
"Where did you get all this?" He asked, gesturing to the various muggle artifacts.  
Charity smiled. "A lot of it's from my own house! Other things I borrowed from friends, or bought with my own money."  
" _Your own house_?" Snape asked. "Are you Muggleborn then?"  
"Why, because I have muggle things and I'm a Hufflepuff teacher? I thought we weren't supposed to _stereotype_." She jeered. "But yes. Yes I am! Why do you ask?"  
"No reason, I was merely making an observation." He responded. Then, his eyes rounded onto her desk.

There, sitting on top, was a burette and a flask. "Oh!" Charity exclaimed, seeing Snape looking over to the equipment. "I was thinking of teaching my class a little bit of chemistry, and see if they can draw parallels between that and potions! To show them how we aren't so different to muggles."  
Snape nodded. "It's a titration set, isn't it?"  
"Yep! I'm only really going off of my brother's old high school chemistry books, but it's something about _neutralisation_." She then went on to describe it, often going off topic about different classes in Muggle schools. Much to his surprise he found himself listening to her. He found it much more tolerable when he wasn't being forced to socialise.

The topic then managed to make its way to Hagrid. "Oh it's such a shame what happened to Hagrid, on his first lesson too! I hope the school governors aren't too harsh on him. He wouldn't get...fired...would he?" Charity asked, her face taking on a more worried expression.  
"No, of course not." Snape said, sounding convincing. However he was unsure, as Lucius Malfoy didn't take too kindly to the fact his son was injured, and Draco was doing a good job of milking it. Charity's worried expression lifted a little, and she turned her attention back to the desk.  
"It's a shame I can't demonstrate it properly. I wouldn't know where to get the stuff to use in it from."  
"I think I could help." Snape offered. "I'm sure I have some _stuff_ somewhere."  
Charity beamed. "Oh that would be brilliant, thank you!"  
Snapes mouth formed a crooked, lopsided smile that didn't really suit him. He wasn't used to smiling unless it was a smirk or a sneer.

"That reminds me, I must get back to my office." He said quickly, turning to leave.  
"Oh! Well, thank you for bringing my books back, and for the offer too!" Charity said. Snape gave a curt nod in response, and walked out the door. As he passed a group of students, they seemed to whisper and giggle as they looked at him, but he didn't notice.  
' _Why did I offer to help her? I'm not even friends with her. Let alone do I actually like her. I merely tolerate her_.' He thought to himself. ' _It must've been out of pity. Yes! I pity her, that's it!_ '


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, word about what had happened in the staffroom had made its way to Snape. He was put in an incredibly sour mood and resorted to taking points whenever a student so much as smiled in a way he didn't like when they were around him. By the end of the day he was seething, and took his anger out by slamming around his office. ' _Of course._ ' He thought to himself, rummaging around finding the items he'd said to Charity she could have. ' _He just couldn't wait for the opportunity to arrive to humiliate me again. He put that idea in Longbottom's head, that's why he wanted him to help._ '

He found two flasks labeled 'NAoH' and 'HCl' tucked away in a small cupboard. Although they weren't useful in potion brewing, he kept some muggle chemicals to experiment around with. He hesitated before leaving. He didn't feel like talking to anyone, however if he didn't do something to occupy him he might end up destroying his office. Begrudgingly, he walked to Professor Burbage's office to deliver the flasks.

He knocked on the office door and entered. "Oh hello... Severus?" Charity said with an air of caution, seeing that the frown lines above Snape's brow were more defined than usual, and his eyes devoid of any slither of friendliness she thought she saw the last time they had met. He put the flasks down on her desk rather heavy handed.  
"Oh! Thank you Severus!"  
But Snape didn't seem to hear what she had said.  
"You'll find it wise to invest in goggles and gloves. Many of these students here are incompetent when it comes to potions, I doubt _this_ would be any different."  
Charity tried to ignore his last line, and gestured to a box on her desk. "Already one step ahead! I wouldn't want to add to the amount of accidents here, which already seems like quite alot..." She trailed off, staring at the box.  
"I'll be going now." Snape said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Charity exclaimed. Snape turned around and scowled slightly. "You weren't at dinner tonight!"  
Snape's fowl mood had indeed tampered with his appetite, and he had decided he wouldn't attend dinner. That, and the fact he couldn't stomach seeing Lupin there, probably acting smug over the recent escapade.  
"And?" He snapped. He'd already reached his social limit and wanted to get to his headquarters and sleep.  
"You must be hungry, I expect you didn't have lunch either. Here!" Charity remarked, offering Snape a packet of biscuits.  
"No." He declined. "No...thank you."  
Although he was hungry, he didn't feel like eating anything. Charity have him a watery smile, and then got out two mugs.  
"If you won't eat, I insist you stay for a cup of tea. You haven't really had anything all day, that can't be good for you!"  
Although he was never a picture of health, he looked particularly weathered that night. He was paler than usual and the dark circles underneath his eyes were looking more prominent.

He stared at her through narrowed eyes, and then sighed. "Fine."  
Charity smiled brightly and got up and pulled a chair from the corner of the room for Snape to sit in. He watched as she boiled water in a kettle that managed to heat itself up, and then poured the water into the two mugs. "I take my tea black." Snape interjected as Charity finished pouring milk in one mug and moved to the other.  
"Oh, yes! Sorry, autopilot." She apologized. "How many sugars?"  
"Just one."

She handed him his tea, and sat back down. His irritable mood began to ebb away as he felt the warmth of the mug in his hand. He looked around the room. It was rather small, however had enough room to fit two people comfortably. On top of the desk lay rolls of parchment and a few copies of _'Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles'._ On the walls there were various posters of different muggle bands, and one that moved around.  
"I didn't take you as a fan of The Weird Sisters."  
Charity laughed. "There you go, stereotyping again!" She teased. Her face then fell into a more serious expression. "I heard about what happened yesterday..."

Snape felt his anger return. "What? Are _you_ going to ridicule me too?" He snapped, lowering his cup. Charity raised her hands.  
"No! No, I just guessed that that might be the reason you seemed upset. I didn't mean to offend you!"  
Snape raised his cup to his mouth again. "Well, I don't wish to talk about it, and you've probably heard all the details anyway."

Charity have him a sympathetic smile. "Of course, I understand." She turned to the roles of parchment on her desk and sighed. "I have so much marking to do over the weekend... makes you wonder why we even set homework. I've been dreading _this_ one." She said, pulling out the longest one. "I appreciate she's done it, and I have nothing against her, but, there's so much to _read_ and _mark_."  
Snape sneered. "Does that belong to Miss Granger by any chance?"  
Charity cocked her head slightly. "Yes, how did you know?"  
"She also writes excessively for my assignments too. Never misses the chance to _show off_." Snape smirked, taking a sip from his mug.

Charity frowned. "I don't think she's showing off, she's just passionate, that's all. And I've found her very helpful in my classes."  
Snape's lip curled. "Yes, she _helps_ in my classes too, especially when it's supposed to be independent work."  
"There's nothing wrong with being helpful!" Charity said, placing her mug on her desk and straightening her back.  
"Yes. But it's behaviour like that that'll get her disqualified from her O.W.L.s."  
Charity slumped, trying to think of a rebuttal. However, he had made a valid point, so instead she picked up her mug to drink.

Snape took another sip of tea, and then asked, "why would she take Muggle Studies anyway, she's Muggleborn so she already knows how muggles live. I fail to see how it would be beneficial for her."  
Charity paused before answering. "I think she said something about wanting to study muggles from a wizards perspective. Though perhaps she wanted a subject she was more familiar with, I caught a glimpse of her timetable and it's very busy! Though I've noticed there might've been a few errors."  
Snape looked at her, quizzically. "How so?" He asked.  
"Well," Charity began, "I noticed Divination was written down, however I know for a fact her Divination class would be the same time she had Muggle Studies with me. I don't think too much about it though. It's probably just a mistake or something.  
"Indeed." Snape replied, however there was scepticism in his voice.

Charity sensed this and quickly said, "well, it'd be impossible for her to be in two classes at once! What other explanation could there be?"  
"I don't know. Like you said, it's probably just a mistake or _something_." He said, drinking the last of his tea. He stood up and placed the empty mug on Charity's desk.  
"Oh, you're leaving already?" Charity asked, looking up at him.  
"Yes. It's getting late and I'm feeling tired." He explained. "Thank you...for the tea" He added as he was leaving.

When Snape arrived at his office he began to pace around. Hermione's timetable _couldn't_ have had mistakes. He'd never heard of there being timetable errors before, especially not since they were filled by magic and not by hand or printed. He sat down and tried to forget about it, but something just didn't sit right. He decided to ask the Headmaster tomorrow, to clear his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Snape knocked on the oak door before entering the headmasters office.  
"Ah, Severus, you wanted to speak to me, here, take a seat" The headmaster said, summoning a chair. Snape sat down. "If this is about Professor Lupin and the boggart, he has requested that I tell you he apologises for any upset it has caused, but that you don't take it out on Neville. It wasn't his fault."  
"No that isn't-" Snape paused. ' _He apologised? No...If it were genuine he would have said it himself. He probably wants to make himself look like the better person._ '  
"Are you alright, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, noticing Snape's sudden absence from the conversation.  
"Yes, I'm fine. But that isn't what I've come here to talk about. I have noticed something about Miss Granger's timetable." He said.  
"Is that so?" The headmaster replied, placing his hands on his desk and leaning forward slightly.  
"It has been brought to my attention that her classes overlap." Snape continued. "I don't think it's a mistake. Something's going on, and I thought I should voice you my concerns."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you for alerting me, however I doubt there is any need for concern. I do believe it is a mistake. They can happen, Severus!"  
Snape looked in disbelief. "Headmaster, how? It's filled out by magic, there shouldn't be any errors, It's not possible!" Snape exclaimed, sitting upright. Dumbledore chuckled.  
"Magic isn't fool proof, Severus! Please don't worry yourself over it. If there was any cause for concern I would have addressed it."  
However, these words didn't calm Snape. His brow furrowed slightly as he stared at the headmaster. The sounds of the mechanical whirring that filled the headmasters office began to merge into monotony, and Snape felt his clothes begin to feel tight and uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, beginning to feel overwhelmed.

"Please. Headmaster. I beg you, listen to me!" He pleaded, standing up.  
"I am listening Severus! However I think you are overthinking things. Please, sit down, and calm yourself."  
Snape slumped back down, his breath heavy. There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"I thought you trusted me, headmaster." Snape said, regaining his posture. "But I have come to you, twice, with concerns. And each time you have pushed them aside. I had every reason to believe Lupin may still be in contact with Black, and I have every reason to believe that it's not a mistake that Granger's timetable is incorrect."  
Dumbledore sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Yes, you do have the right to have your suspicions. However, I have the right not to have any. It isn't that I don't trust you Severus. It's that I don't want your mind occupied by conspiracies. Especially when there are bigger things to worry about."  
"They aren't conspiracies!"  
The headmaster sighed again. "I just don't want you to develop an obsession over these...concerns. I need you to stay vigilant. Your attention can't be aimed towards the wrong things."

Snape sat, defeated. He was unsatisfied with the answer he had been given but knew it would be futile to press on. "Very well. I bid you goodbye." He said as he got up to leave.  
"Goodbye Severus, please. Take care of yourself."

When Snape arrived at his office, he walked inside and slumped down against the wall and put his head between his knees. "Why won't he listen to me?" He spoke to himself despairingly. "I thought he trusted me. Does he think I'm lying? Or that I'm going mad? I don't understand!"  
He raised his head and ran his hand down his face.

"Remus! Remus!" Charity called after the man in the ragged robes walking down the corridor. Remus stopped and turned to smile at her.  
"Hello Charity! How are you today?"  
Charity picked at her cardigan and looked up at him.  
"I'm alright, but I needed to ask you something."

"Oh?"  
"It's about Severus, I haven't seen him all weekend, everytime I knock on his office he doesn't answer...do you know if he's alright?" She asked.  
Lupin gave a weak smile. "I'm sure he's fine. You've heard about what happened with the boggart I take it? He's probably just....sulking." He trailed off.  
Charity's brow furrowed. "Oh, well. I see. Thank you. I'd uh, better be off. Goodbye Remus."

' _It can't be just the boggart that's gotten him like this_ ' She thought as she walked through the corridors. ' _He was fine...well atleast talking to me the other day, what's changed?_ '  
She decided to try and knock on Snape's office again. As she walked through the dungeons, she wrapped her arms around herself. The dungeon corridor was bitterly cold, there was no sunlight to provide natural warmth, and the torches on either side gave no heat, only a little light. She heard something scurry across the floor behind her and looked around, but saw nothing. The silence amplified every noise, her footsteps sounded heavier against the stone floor. Despite having walked through these dungeons countless times, she always found them eerie, and could never shake off the feeling that, despite having gone down there alone, something else was with her.

Soon, her set of footsteps were accompanied by another. These footsteps sounded sharp and brisk, and were drawing closer and closer. Charity moved her hand to her wand which was tucked inside the waistband of her trousers. Whoever, or whatever it was, sounded nearer now, and she could feel her heart beat pounding heavily against her ribcage. She had slowed to a halt, frozen in place. She whipped around and shakily rose her wand but no spells came to mind, and instead she gave a small shriek. 

"Put your wand down, Professor." Spoke a smooth, cold voice.  
Charity lowered her wand and placed a hand on her chest, sighing deeply. "Oh it's only you Severus, you scared me. These dungeons are enough to make anyone lose their minds!"  
Snape sneered. "Only those with _weak minds_. And I am not weak minded."  
Charity tried to ignore the blatant dig made at her. "Where have you been? You've been hiding out in your office the whole weekend!" She said, regaining her composure.  
"You answered yourself. I've been in my office. Is that all you came down here for?" 

Charity looked down at her feet. "I just came down here to see if you're alright. That's all."  
" _Why_?" Snape asked, looking slightly to the side and looking at her through the corners of his eyes. "Why do you care?"  
Charity was slightly taken aback by his response. "Because I'm your f-colleague!" She exclaimed.  
Snape scoffed. "Well, for your information. I was doing fine. However I'm currently having my time wasted."  
Charity clenched her fists. "It's a good thing I'm going now, isn't it! I should've just left you _sulking_ like he said you were-"  
She quickly brought her hand to her mouth. 

Snape squinted at her. "Who said I was sulking?" He snapped. Charity shook her head. "It was Lupin, wasn't it?"  
"No! It wasn't!" Charity lied, but Snape saw through her.  
"I think I'll have a word with him, and remind him of the proper staff etiquette."  
"Please! Severus, don't! I'm sure he didn't mean it like that!" She pleaded. But Snape was already storming off. Charity's heart dropped. Snape was angry with her, and now Lupin was going to hate her as well. She slowly made her way out of the dungeon, tears pooling in her eyes. 


End file.
